93.575: Child Care and Development Block Grant

93.575

Active

Administration for Children and Families (ACF) [HHS]

Sept. 9, 2022

Sept. 9, 2022

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary federal funding source to help certain low-income families access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. As a block grant, CCDF gives funding to States, Territories, and Tribes to provide child care subsidies primarily through vouchers or certificates to low-income families. In addition, CCDF funds are used to improve the quality of child care for both subsidized and unsubsidized children. CCDF consists of both Discretionary funding authorized by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act and Mandatory and Matching funding under the Social Security Act. The CCDBG was created by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508) and is subject to annual appropriations. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 (P.L. 104-193) consolidated funding for child care under the Social Security Act, where CCDF mandatory and matching funding is authorized, and made such funding generally subject to the requirements of the CCDBG Act. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-186) reauthorized the discretionary portion of CCDF through FY 2020 and made significant changes to improve the health, safety, and quality of child care and provide more continuous child care assistance to low-income children and families. In addition to the block grants to States, Territories and Tribes, a small portion of the CCDF is used by the Office of Child Care to provide technical assistance to grantees on administering the program. A small portion of CCDF is also used for child care research, demonstration and evaluation activities. The Discretionary portion of the CCDF funds provides about $5.9 billion in federal funding per year for child care. Additional funding is provided by state matching and maintenance of effort funds, as well as funds transferred from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Further, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (P. L. 116-136) was enacted March 27, 2020 and appropriated an additional $3.5 billion in supplemental CCDF Discretionary funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act (P. L. 116-260) was enacted December 27, 2020 and appropriated $10 billion in supplemental CCDF Discretionary funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 (P. L. 117-2) was enacted March 11, 2021 and appropriated $38,965,000,000 through two funding streams in supplemental CCDF Discretionary funds and include: $14,990,000,000 (Section 2201) for CCDF Supplemental Discretionary Funds, available until September 30, 2024; and $23,975,000,000 (Section 2202) for child care stabilization grants available until September 30, 2023. Requirements for competitive grants including research grants vary and can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). There was an increase in mandatory and matching funding for CCDF, which is a permanent annual appropriation and is detailed in CFDA 93.596.

A - Formula Grants

Eligibility: All 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Federally recognized Tribal Governments and consortia. Eligibility for TA and Research projects can be found in the Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) or other solicitations.

Children under age 13 (or, at the option of the Lead Agency, up to age 19, if physically or mentally incapable of self-care or under court supervision), who (1) reside with a family whose income does not exceed 85% of the State median income for a family of the same size, and (2) who reside with a parent (or parents) who is working or attending job training or educational program, or who are in need of, or are receiving, protective services are eligible. A Lead Agency shall re-determine a child’s eligibility for child care services no sooner than 12 months following the initial determination or most recent re-determination. Once determined eligible, children are expected to receive a minimum of 12 months of child care services, unless family income rises above 85% State median income or, at Lead Agency option, the family experiences a non-temporary cessation of work, education, or training.

93.596 - Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund

93.558 - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

https://sam.gov/fal/49d6a1e980f54273b0abd4484d49ab7e/view